Your future is bold: behind the scenes of our new campaign

Tired of college marketing materials?

We are too.

High school students receive hundreds of pieces of college mail and email throughout the year. And it doesn’t take long for every piece of mail to blend together. The designs all start to look the same, and the messaging just feels mushy. We’ve had enough of this. College years can be one of the most formative times of life. In college, you grow as a person, and you are trained for a career that will likely become your livelihood for decades. Recruitment marketing materials should reflect that degree of impact!

This year at North Central, we wanted to communicate in a way students could relate to—with messages that would cut through the clutter and noise of “traditional” higher education marketing. We wanted this campaign to be one that would mean something to future students (and to us), and that would inspire people to choose a Christian college that has the potential to change their life.

The campaign theme: Your future is bold

Behind the scenes of creating the campaign

For every piece of mail and every email a prospective student receives, there is a marketing team working away, creating designs, crafting messaging, and crunching data with the hopes of reaching the people who are a perfect fit for NCU. The approach for developing this campaign was just as intentional. We vetted hundreds of ideas before landing on the theme “Your future is bold.” (Seriously, hundreds of them.) We brainstormed as a team, researched trends, met with current student focus groups, and surveyed high school students.

Here’s a look at how we came up with the “Your future is bold” campaign and what it means.

Hearing from students

Early in our campaign brainstorming, we assembled a diverse group of students who were willing to volunteer their time and give us feedback about various marketing trends, as well as lend insight into the things that meant the most to them during their time at NCU.

Here’s what students told us it was important to talk about:

College isn’t easy, and North Central challenges students to grow more than they ever thought they could.

Being challenged at North Central helped students to thrive and see their own potential for the future.

The opportunities they experienced in downtown Minneapolis directly prepared them for work and ministry after graduation.

Even though college can be hard, they felt amazing support from the community, especially the faculty.

Here’s what students wanted to see visually:

Bright colors–more than just NCU blue

Gradients and color interacting with photos

Honest, diverse photography

In all of our conversations, themes about facing challenges seemed to emerge. So our messaging doesn’t shy away from the challenges you might face while you’re in college. The counterpart to the challenges students faced was the success that students experienced when they persevered, surrounded by the support of their North Central community. Because of this, unique opportunities emerged for their future. Bold opportunities.

Understanding and speaking to generation z

High school students of today fit into the age group categorized as “Generation Z.” The North Central marketing team is comprised almost entirely of Millennials, so we worked hard to research and evaluate the motivations of Generation Z well before we crafted a campaign targeted toward them.

From a very young age, Generation Z-ers are concerned about their future. They are saving for their education and planning for college and career much earlier than previous generations. And one of their key concerns is the uncertainty of the future. While no one at North Central will claim to have control over the future, the North Central community is deeply invested in helping students discover their potential and navigate the challenges and opportunities they experience during their college years. This idea became one of the driving forces behind our messaging.

The meaning behind the words

From hundreds of possibilities, we narrowed our campaign down to one primary campaign tagline with four supporting messages:

Your future is bold

This phrase speaks to the lives of current and prospective students of North Central. These students are bold and engaged. They are unafraid of being challenged to grow, and they are boldly pursuing a better future for themselves and for the whole world. This campaign will highlight ways that students are embracing a bold future—exploring their potential during their college years, serving in ministry, launching entrepreneurial business ventures, and more.

Experience bold mentorship: Meet Jake and watch his story about how faculty mentorship propelled him toward his career as the drummer of the band Yam Haus.

Discover bold opportunities: Watch the story of North Central students who found bold opportunity presenting at the General Mills world headquarters.

Thrive in community: Meet resident directors Luke and Asha and hear about the thriving community on campus.

Want to see more behind the scenes footage? Watch our full-length behind the scenes bloopers reel from our campaign interviews.

Motivated by the mission

The “Your future is bold” campaign is unashamedly Christ-centered. He is the reason that student futures are filled with hope and opportunity.

North Central’s mission states that we seek to “prepare students to fulfill biblical models of leadership and ministry throughout the world.” By highlighting messages of academic excellence and faculty mentors, the Christ-centered community, and our ideally positioned downtown campus, the “Your future is bold” campaign seeks to attract students who are like-minded with this mission.

A call to future North Central students

Is your future bold?

Even though the questions about your future might seem endless, there is one for sure answer that will give you peace—Jesus.

So where will you work? What will the world even be like by the time you graduate? The answer is bigger than just a diploma and a handshake as you cross the stage at commencement.

At North Central University, you can earn a degree that will be more than just a resumé boost. Major in something that matters to you, and that will matter to the world. Experience mentorship that will help you navigate your career goals.

Be challenged to thrive.

Grow more than you knew you could.

Don’t let your future be filled with worry. Trust in Jesus. In Him, your future is bold with opportunity and faith.